.NET Foundation Campaign: Dennie Declercq

Dennie is Microsoft MVP Developer Technologies and has experience in accessibility with Microsoft technologies. In daily life Dennie is president and developer at DDSoft, a nonprofit that connects IT to People who are less tech-savvy. Dennie invented technical solutions and systems to help people with disabilities to participate in their daily life. Thanks to his autism he's the right man at the right spot to contribute as a volunteer in function of people with disabilities.

Why I am running?

We are in the Era where software saves lives and makes life more enjoyable for people that can use this Software. In this Era, nearly everything is possible with (Open Source) Software and affordable to use (Cloud) Computing.

I am very excited to see what’s possible in this Era, but I still see too many people excluded from the world of Software. I speak about end users and about software developers. Developers on the neurodiversity, gender diversity, culture diversity,… spectra do not always feel safe to contribute in the Open Source Software community!

In addition to this, our Software needs to be more inclusive and accessible for everyone. With everyone I do also mean people with various disabilities, people with budgetary restrictions and people living in places with less/ no stable internet connection...

I see my task in The .NET Foundation to help to reinforce both statements above. With passion, with play and without judging or negative gate keeping.

Inclusion?

It's really important that we include everyone on the planet to achieve more. To achieve their dreams and to be included in the world, where everyone else is. Inclusion is not a woke concept that is unrealistic. It's just about holding place on the dance floor (on the work table) for people that don't take the place easy by them self or that where excluded from the party (the work table) before.

It's about female, male and non-binary people. It's the white, and the black. It's people with or without neurodiversity and with or without other disabilities.

Experience with the .NET Foundation

I am writing software in .NET since the early days. I follow and celebrate that .NET is Open Sourced years ago. I know a lot of .NET Foundation members and previous members as a very visible person at international software conferences.

What are my goals for the .NET Foundation?

My goal is to advocate mental health and the whole diversity spectrum. I am going to advocate for people to share their unique vision in a safe environment. I am also going to try to bring new people from diversity groups to the .NET Open Source Software world and checking what's needed for them to feel included if they aren't at the party (software table) yet!

My definition of success for myself is if there are more people from the whole diversity spectrum on the .NET Foundation Open Source Software table and if they are feeling safe and well then the times before I joined!